We all know that running an off-line business takes an incredible amount of time, and I'm sure that you've realized by now that the Internet offers a myriad of ways to promote your off-line business. The question becomes, which of these online promotional opportunities makes the most sense for an offline business?

I firmly believe that Twitter is one of those online marketing opportunities that you NEED to make time for! While creating and running a Twitter marketing plan does take thought and effort, there are many tools and methods available to make it easier to accomplish your Twitter tasks… and as it stands now, Twitter has the potential to become an extremely important part of YOUR online marketing puzzle.

Why Twitter? you may ask. Because of the way Twitter works — people CHOOSE to follow you — TWITTER is 100% Permission Marketing!

Now, often when I explain all of this to busy offline business owners, like yourself, they look at me with bafflement and ask

    *Don't these people have LIVES?*

    *Why would anybody want to do this?*
   
    *I don't have time for this!*, they wail!

My answer is simple… *You are not your customer!*

WHY do you market?

The point of MARKETING is to reach your targeted audience with your message.

Twitter provides a powerful method to accomplish this effectively AND efficiently.

For a plethora of OFFLINE Twitter marketing techniques, check out my new Survival Guide – Twitter for Offline Businesses.

http://surviveandconqueronline.com/TwitterForOfflineBusinesses.htm

Sharing the Road to Success!

Tink

In September, Google rolled out a new Application which has the potential to change the face of the internet. (And no, I don't say this lightly!)

Google touts this breakthrough in the following terms:

         Publish helpful information
        about any web page right in your browser

         Read insights in context
        from Sidewiki entries added by others

         Share Sidewiki entries through
        Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and Google profiles

http://www.google.com/sidewiki/intl/en/index.html

Ignoring the copyright issues (of which there are MANY) this means that

             ANYONE who is registered to do so can LEAVE COMMENTS on ANY page of your web site.

             ANYONE with the Google Toolbar installed can READ THOSE COMMENTS

             YOU HAVE NO RECOURSE (at this time) to have those comments removed!

This is an important and potentially damaging issue for ALL web site owners.

This Special Report explains the problem as it currently stands and explains what EVERY web site owner needs to do right now to protect against the potential harm it can cause!

Because the Google Sidewiki is so new (it was implemented in September 2009) I am expecting it to undergo many changes. Be sure to sign up for the Update List, so you can keep track of this potentially damaging issue!

To here get the Special Report – Google Sidewiki Dangers! What to do if YOUR Site is hit with Google Graphitti.

Sharing the Road to Success!

Tink

Here in the needlework and quilting industries, most of us have a tremendous advantage over the rest of the world… our businesses are personality based…

For retailers, this is true on several different levels. One of the most powerful of these is the fact that many of your customers have secret fantasies about owning a *cute little shop*. Do they want to know the brutal realities involved? No! And you know what… that’s OK…

The mere fact that they occasionally flirt with the idea offers you an incredibly effective, versatile, and subtle marketing strategy.

This is just one of the topics that will be discussed — in depth — in the upcoming webinar – How to Wow!

Even more exciting, the webinar format offers you the opportunity to participate by typing in your questions!

Here are more details on the How to Wow! Webinar.

Sharing the road to success!

Tink
 

Considered individually, Online Search, Internet Search Engines, and Web Site Statistics are extremely important topics for anyone who is trying to understand the Internet and to profit from an Internet business.

When you look at them as part of a puzzle affecting YOUR Internet business, they become even more SIGNIFICANT!

Amazingly enough, even though they are vital topics in any context, there is very little information available about them, either online or offline! There are an number of factors contributing to this:

• Search Engines and their guiding algorithms (searching methods and criteria) are closely guided secrets
• Search Engines and their algorithms (especially Google) are changed often
• Online Search is an ongoing battleground  between the Search Engine companies and online cheaters (called Black Hats) who are attempting to profit by twisting the system
• Interpreting Statistics is an extremely complicated and, dare I say , esoteric endeavor (My Dad worked in Statistics his entire career and used to say that a good statistician could make data say whatever he wanted it to say… pretty scary, huh?)
• The web changes quickly, with little warning and NO oversight!
• No one knows your business better than YOU do

For instance, a good accountant could look at your company’s financial records and attempt to interpret them… but unless that person knows that there was a broken water main in front of your building and all traffic was blocked for two weeks, a dramatic sales drop could be EASILY mis-interpreted

Deciphering your web site statistics demands the same need for detailed and intimate knowledge. Recently revamped site navigation may be reflected in your web site statistics and traffic patterns, but only be apparent to someone who knew exactly when it happened

There are NO clear cut RIGHT answers! Understanding Online Search, Internet Search Engines, and Web Site Statistics is a combination of number crunching, careful tracking, creative interpretation, detailed inside knowledge, and a bit of magic! *VeryBigGrin*

Take a moment to consider your Offline Business…

Please answer the following questions:

• How many customers visited your Offline business last week?
• How did they find out about your business?
• How long did they stay?
• Were they returning customers?
• What model of vehicle did they arrive in?

Now, believe it or not, Online Search, Internet Search Engines, and Web Site Statistics, ALL working together, will answer those questions, and more, about your Online visitors. Just substitute *Operating System* and *Web Browser* for the car questions! *smile*

This is WHY it is important that YOU — the business owner — learn and track your company’s Web Site Statistics and keep up to date with the Search Engines and their antics. 

Fortunately, there are a couple of options, if you want to learn more about Web Site Statistics…    even if you don’t even know WHERE to look at them! <grin>

If you have the time, I will be presenting a Webinar on Search, Search Engines, and Web Site Statistics on September 17, 2009. 

I have also written a Survival Guide on the subject of Web Site Statistics.      

Both of these resources are useful for newbies — because I explain things in plain English…

They are also suitable for more experienced web folks, because I share actual statistics from one of my web sites!     

I hope that you will take advantage of these valuable resources.

Sharing the Road to Success!

Tink                    
 

Tink’s Tips and Coaching Updates

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TINK’S TIPS

I have been working on a couple of Email related projects over the last couple of days… so this tip is an email tip

Always use a accurate Subject Line, and whatever you do… DON’T FORGET TO HAVE A SUBJECT LINE!

I receive 1000-1500 spam emails to my main email addy — PER DAY! more and more of them have blank subject lines. I automatically figure a blank subject line = SPAM… I do try to remember to check the sender info, but I don’t always!

If you forget a subject line when you send me an email, you have upped the odds of having me delete it as SPAM!

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NEW THIS WEEK

CHEAT SHEET -

We have a new Cheat Sheet, the LAST part in a 5 part series – *How Web Sites are Found*. Be sure and download it now because it will be available to BASIC Level members ONLY for this week!

NOTE – This Resource is provided as a ZIP file, containing a PDF file. It is NOT content on a web page. You will need to download it, unzip it and then open the PDF file in order to read it. You WILL be able to print out a copy, if you wish!

Here is the LINK -

http://surviveandconquercoaching.com/supreme/downloads.php

HOW TO ACCESS IT:

Log in to SurviveAndConquerCoaching.com

Look in the Left Vertical Navigation bar

Click on the one titled Your Downloads
(It will be near the top!)

On the Download Page, there will be a long list of available Downloads listed by Category.
(The Categories are listed in Alphabetical order. The Downloads within the Category are not Alphabetized.)

Click on the underlined Link in the upper left corner of each Download listing box.

All PREMIER Level members will have more than one page of Downloads, and can navigate to the other Download pages using navigation options at the bottom of the list.

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VIDEO TUTORIAL -

This week’s BASIC Video is *How to Hide Files on Your Computer.

Note – It was created for PC users, not Mac users… Sorry!

Here is the Link:

http://surviveandconquercoaching.com/supreme/p/?/Basic-Video.html

HOW TO ACCESS IT:

You can also access the video tutorial by going to the Left Vertical Navigation bar (once you are Logged in!)

Click on the 6th link – BASIC- Video Vault

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All of these great resources can be found at:

http://surviveandconquercoaching.com

Sharing the Road to Success!

Tink